The Pritcher Mass

by Gordon R. Dickson

After a strange fungal growth had irrevocably contaminated the planet, humanity's only hope lay in the farthest reaches of the Solar System where the incredible Pritcher Mass searched psychic wavelengths for living worlds. But something of earth, an ancient evil, seemed bent on destroying the Mass.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Collections, Fantasy

158 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1972

About the author

Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.

Reviews

[Karl]

DAW Collectors #69

Cover Artist: Kelly Freas.

Name: Dickson, Gordon Rupert, Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, (1 November 1923 - 31 January 2001).

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle combines with witchcraft to save humanity from choking on a ravaged environment. This is hard nosed technological science fiction with the twist that the technology is psychic rather than mechanical. An old-fashioned approach to a newfangled subject, the plot keeps you guessing and a (nonphysical) gadget steals the show.

The only hope for mankind's survival after the contamination of the Earth lay in the Pritcher Mass, a psychic force field construction out beyond the orbit of Pluto. Created by the efforts of individuals with extraordinary paranormal powers, the Mass was designed to search the universe for a new habitable planet. Chaz Sant knew he had the kind of special ability to contribute effectively to the building of the Mass, but somehow the qualifying tests were stacked against him. Then he learned that he had become the special target of an insidious organization that fattened on the fears of the last cities of the world. His confrontation with this organization, their real motives and his unexpected reactions, were to touch off the final showdown for mankind's last enterprise.

[Steve Rainwater]

A short but readable book based on a unique idea.

There were lots of books about humans with paranormal powers back in the 60s and 70s but this is the only one I recall reading that deals with the prospect of multiple people pooling their paranormal powers to build a "paranormal machine". In this case, they're hoping to construct a huge, invisible, machine of paranormal energy that's capable of finding and contacting alien worlds. This paranormal machine is called the "Pritcher Mass" after the scientist who came up with the idea. The book's main character believes he has the right powers to work on construction of the mass but he keeps failing his paranormal powers test. Eventually, he finds out it's because there is a secret cabal on Earth trying to control the mass for their own purposes and they're afraid his special powers could thwart their plans.

Like other books of that era, it also includes some witches, under the theory that witches were just people with paranormal powers who came up with a superstitious rather than scientific explanation for their abilities. There is also a completely inexplicable talking wolverine hanging around one of the witches. It shows up just long enough to give our main character some advice but no explanation is ever offered for what it is; a witch's familiar? an alien? who knows.

The book is short. In fact, it seems about 100 pages shorter than is really needed to tell the complete story. At times, things seem to happen a little too fast. I'm guessing this was originally published in the pulps as a two or three part story and got compiled and published as a novel.

It's readable and entertaining but not Dickson's best work. Try his novel Time Storm if you're looking for Dickson at his best.

[Charles]

OK about covers it.

[Jim]

This is a book that I've had on a shelf for at least thirteen years and I had wanted to reread it. Now, I've decided to donate it to a library book sale. I wanted to reread it because I really got hardly anything out of it--and the thing is I really like Gordon R. Dickson's work. So I wanted to give it another chance. BUT there are just too many books that I have in my house waiting to be read!
Gordon Rupert Dickson ( 1923- 2001) was a very prolific Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy writer. I've read a lot of his stuff over the years so I didn't know why this one of his ( published in 1972 and I have the TOR paperback edition from 1983) just didn't work for me. It's a story about people with psychic powers. There are witches, who are people with psychic powers. The" Pritcher Mass" of the title is a device that's supposed to search the psychic wavelengths for a livable planet ( the Earth has been infected by some sort of fungal growth). There is a wolverine that pops up in the story--and I would've liked to have had more of him in the story! Overall, I think the story was somewhat confusing and could have been developed much more in a longer story, as I'm sure Dickson had some good ideas in there somewhere.
According to my notes, I read the book from March 16-19, in 2013. I was very busy back then so perhaps didn't give it enough thought. I will pass the book on and hope someone else will read it--and enjoy it!

[Kevin Phyland]

Now I’ll own up to liking a lot of Gordon R. Dickson’s work, even though most of it has a strong military cast to it, but this book is a mish-mash of ingredients that doesn’t actually cohere into anything much. In this future, Earth has become infested with Job’s berry, which releases spores deadly to humans, and therefore cities are enclosed and anybody infected is cast out into the Open, to die. The plan to combat it seems to be to run away, and to this end an enormous psychic machine known as the Pritcher Mass is constructed out beyond Pluto, to search for a new planet to inhabit. Aspiring Mass worker Chaz Sant gets involved when a sabotaged train crashes which exposes him to the spores, but he ruthlessly gets back inside using violent subterfuge. A coven of Witches (psychics) and gangsters from the Citadel have secretly taken over the Mass however, and only Chaz comes to realise that the planet they seek is barred to them. Lots of magical thinking and a cartoon planet leads to a conclusion of sorts but I’m afraid I have no idea what it is. You can live without this book.

[Christopher Schmehl]

I loved it. Great story. Dickson's writing is very readable. His characters are mysterious but grounded. His descriptions painted a vivid picture for me of the people, the bleak landscapes, the overcast skies, the sterile indoor environments, the train, the space platform, etc.
The main character of Chaz develops well over his arc. The book has other memorable characters as well.
The story flows. It kept me asking questions and wanting answers.

[Jeff Pfeiffer]

A very good book indeed with a very satisfying ending. It contemplates humanity's self destructive compulsions along with its innate will to survive. Coupled with the use of pyschic will and energy to be combined into a single mass and force being battled over with the victor determining what its actual purpose is meant to be.

[Philip Gipson]

I picked this up for its cover alone. Good thing too, because the story inside is terrible.

[Kathryn Baron]

I read this somewhere in the 1970s. I've never felt the slightest desire to re-read. I this I mostly kept for the cool cover.

I wish the talking wolverine had as big a park in to book as he does on the cover.

[David H.]

I read this in serialized form (as published over 3 parts in the August through October 1972 issues of Analog). It may differ from the final complete publication.

Chaz is absolutely convinced that he has the paranormal abilities necessary to join the "Pritcher Mass" project that will be necessary to save humanity from the Rot-infested Earth by finding a new way to the stars. Except--that's not quite what happens, as a series of improbable (ha!) events occur to allow Chaz to figure out how to do what he wants. The way Dickson sets up the "logic-chain" principles always felt odd to me. This is my 3rd or 4th Dickson novel, and while it's not my least favorite (that's The Outposter so far), it didn't quite make the cut for me.

[Adam Clark]

Liked this a lot. Paced and structured like a modern thriller, with big and endearingly clumsy Jungian ideas about the collective unconscious creating a “psychic machine” that can do… just about anything.

[Peter]

Interesting idea but never felt the need to re-read this one

[Helga Ganguly]

A fast read. Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. interesting.

[Charl]

Not one of his better stories. Shows its age a bit.